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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · rest · hide · bay · saw · court · wax · rule

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rule — government
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — of law
  6. rest — a break
  7. craft — a skill
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rest — what's left
  10. court — for sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wax — to grow
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rest — what's left
  22. craft — boats
  23. rule — a law
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com